Hannah v. Belger’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 federal appellate ·

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “In Georgia one who fails to investigate or use ordinary care to verify a statement made by another may not recover even if the statement is later found to be an intentional misrepresentation and fraud is proven____ In the instant case it is perfectly plain that the plaintiffs made no attempt to verify the capital investment allegedly made by [the defendant co-investor]. They made no attempt to exercise even the most perfunctory supervision over the business even though they were aware that the reports submitted to them by [the co-investor] were incomplete. [E]ven assuming a conspiracy between [the co-investor and the banker], ..., the plaintiffs still could not recover because they utterly failed to take reasonable steps to protect themselves as required by Georgia law, even though there were no inhibitions to investigation. The Georgia law protects the diligent, but is not the constant guardian of the supine. Here even an iota of economic curiosity on the part of the investors could have secured the stable before the horse galloped out____”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Alimenta (U.S.A.), Inc. v. Stauffer

2. “(1) That the defendant made the representations. (2) That at the time he knew they were false (or what the law regards as the equivalent of knowledge). (3) That he made them with the intention and purpose of deceiving the plaintiff. (4) That the plaintiff relied upon such representations. (5) That the plaintiff sustained the alleged loss and damage as the proximate result of their having been made.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Georgia Casulaty & Surety Co. v. Tennille Banking Co. (In Re Smith)